<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>A Moment To Last Forever by Azuron234</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29924817">A Moment To Last Forever</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azuron234/pseuds/Azuron234'>Azuron234</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:29:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,806</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29924817</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azuron234/pseuds/Azuron234</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Leader of the Phantom Thieves Found Dead in Police Custody"</p><p>This was the headline on the news, a shocking revelation to Tokyo. No one was more shocked to hear this though than Hifumi Togo, who happened to know who this leader was. In fact, she knew very well who it was. Heartbroken and unsure of what to do, all hope was lost until she received a text in the evening. It was from Akira Kurusu, beckoning her to Leblanc.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kurusu Akira/Togo Hifumi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Moment To Last Forever</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first time writing a Persona 5 fic, so I hope you enjoy! I didn't like how in the games your romance option doesn't seem that bothered by your apparent suicide. If it was someone within the Phantom Thieves I would understand, but why does nobody outside of the group seem to care beyond a text message? If I had written the game, I think including a scene like this would feel very rewarding. Do you agree?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had only been a few weeks since Hifumi Togo last took the Yongen Jaya subway line, but it had felt like much longer. Or at least, the last two days did. Despite the time of night, the train was still packed with commuters coming and going from their jobs and outings with friends. A loud man smelling of alcohol gossiped to an apparent co-worker, "So did you hear the news? They caught the leader of those Phantom Thieves! Kid offed himself right in the police station."</p><p>Hifumi felt her stomach lurch at both the content of the man's gossip along with his casual delivery of such horrifying news. They were wrong though, they had to be.</p><p>"Yeah good riddance, what a pain those Phantom Thieves were, they were all anyone talked about. I hope they catch the rest of them too." The other man agreed in blissful ignorance.</p><p>The casual discussion of death only compounded the atmosphere of unease in the train car. While normally subway trips were orderly and subdued, everyone was restless tonight. No one knew what was going to happen following the death of the Phantom Thieves leader, causing an unprecedented fear of what was to come. It was still what most conversations landed on, and the more people who callously mentioned the death, the sicker Hifumi ended up feeling.</p><p>A feminine voice came on to the loudspeaker, "Now arriving at Yongen Jaya station, please exit the station using the walkways, and stay clear of the tracks for your own safety." Such an announcement had never brought as much relief to Hifumi as it did now. As she departed from the station and navigated the twisting back roads of Yongen Jaya, uneasy thoughts continued to bubble up in her mind. "What if he's not actually alive and this is all a trick? What if something happened to him and he's changed? What if I'm hallucinating and none of this is true?" She looked down at her phone, navigating to the red instant messaging app. At the very top was a message titled, "Come to Leblanc", with the picture next to the message being the face she longed to see.</p><p>Caught up in affirming her own grip on reality, Hifumi nearly walked past the small turn that led to her destination. Following down the way she found it, a small cafe known as "Leblanc". She tried opening the door adorned with a "Closed" sign, knocking upon it and finding it to be locked. The door opened only a crack before a weary voice confirmed, "Ah, it's you. Come on in." The door was fully unlocked and Hifumi was soon let in by the source of the voice. Welcoming her into the cafe was an older gentleman with greasy black hair and a beard, adorning both an apron and bags below the eyes. Hifumi bowed her head towards him, "Good evening Sakura-san, I'm sorry to barge in like this."</p><p>The man known as Sojiro Sakura chuckled and scratched the back of his head humbly, "Don't worry about it. I'm not thrilled with the idea given everything that's gone on, but that kid was damn persistent. Even the cat was on my case. Besides, you already know quite a bit if you've been worried at all."</p><p>Hifumi looked around at the interior of Leblanc, the subtle lighting and prevalent scent of fresh coffee providing a welcoming sort of atmosphere. Large jars of coffee beans lined the shelf behind the counter, a yellow phone placed squarely on the countertop, and a beautiful painting of a mother and baby on the wall for patrons to enjoy. In most circumstances it provided a homely environment, but in the current situation it also provided a sense of hope to Hifumi.</p><p>Sojiro cleared his throat before smirking, "Can I get you a drink, or are you going to go see him?"</p><p>A drink actually wasn't a terrible idea, but it could wait. "Sorry, my mind wandered for a moment. I'll go up and see him right away." Hifumi nodded before heading further into the cafe and ascending the stairs to the building's attic. Sojiro called after her, "I'll lock the door behind me, take care!"</p><p> </p><p>Ascending the stairs made time seem to flow slower for Hifumi, each step took not seconds but entire minutes. "One foot in front of the other, breathe in and breathe out again." The bleak wooden stairs creaked beneath her, preventing any possibility of surprising who might have waited above. She felt herself grow a little faint with anticipation. Each step felt like it might be where she had to stop and catch her breath. Her heart pounded furiously, threatening to give in as she reached the top of the stairs. Though such a heart ceased at once as she saw him.</p><p>He stood at the foot of his futon, running a hand through his messy black hair. That messy mop of his, at first it seemed disheveled and unkept, but by now it was a charmingly endearing feature of his appearance. His entire face seemed to erupt with a smile before Akira Kurusu waved slowly, "Hey."</p><p>Hifumi had planned for this moment of course. She had narrowed her options down to a witty quip or suave opener, planning to take an approach that would seem fitting for her. After all, he knew her to be mostly calm and collected. As his simple greeting reached her though, the sound of his voice mixed with living proof that the one she loved was still alive caught her sharp mind entirely unprepared. So her heart decided instead. "Akira-kun!" Before she had a chance to think through her course of action she threw her arms tightly around him, a gesture he wasted no time in reciprocating fully. "You really are alive! I wanted to believe you when you said so over message but I just-"</p><p>"I wanted to see you too." Akira whispered to her. "I still wasn't entirely sure if I was alive or not. I wanted to believe it, but this still could be a well crafted illusion. But you... nothing could replicate you, Hifumi."</p><p>Hifumi found herself fighting to keep back the tears that had built up again upon seeing him. She asked from his shoulder, "So what even happened? Why does everyone think you're dead?"</p><p>"I probably should have been. We were betrayed in our recent mission, but we had a plan. Everything went as expected but it was still dangerous. If I had lost consciousness... I would have certainly died. This was the only way though."</p><p>This answer worried Hifumi, she pulled away slightly to look at him. She hadn't noticed before in her joy, but his face had a few bruises and welts on it. Seeing these injuries made her heart feel broken, "Akira-kun... what did they do to you?"</p><p>Akira shook his head, "They did horrible things that you don't want to hear about, but I survived. My enemies are cruel and corrupt, which is why it took such a cunning plan to evade them. Anyone who knew of it was in danger, which is why I couldn't let you know. I'm sorry to have worried you."</p><p>"Worried doesn't even begin to describe it! When I heard you had died... I was in complete shock. I felt like my heart was going to stop and never beat on again. I didn't know what to do, I couldn't even tell anyone because of who you are. But as quickly as my heart broke and I assumed it was checkmate... it turned out my king was completely out of harm's way. I was so relieved, it could have been the happiest day of my life." Hifumi hardly had the power to fight anymore, and her tears began to surge with free reign.</p><p>"Hifumi..." Akira's brow furrowed, a combination of guilt and concern painted over his usual cool visage before he took her hand in both of his, "I want to give you happier days than that. I want this to be over as much as you do. But the fight isn't over for me yet, I have one last battle ahead of me. If I don't do it, then this was all for nothing. Everyone I love, everyone I care about will still be in danger."</p><p>Despite herself, a slight laugh escaped Hifumi as she looked up at him, "That is just like you. You're always worried about those around you with every fiber of your being. I wish you didn't have to jump into the fray again, but it would be selfish of me to try to stop you. Besides, you're far too stubborn once you set your mind to something."</p><p>Akira shyly rubbed the back of his head, "So I'm told. I'll be okay though, we'll all be okay. We're going to come up with a plan to finish this battle without sacrificing anyone, without any further casualties. The strategies you taught us through shogi will be essential. As such, it's no exaggeration to say that you could be why we get out of this alive. So thank you for that."</p><p>"Something tells me it has more to do with your own skill." Hifumi smiled softly before embracing him, "I know you'll be very busy once you get scheming. Your team needs you after all, everyone needs you. Tonight though, I wish to be selfish and keep you for myself."</p><p>This drew a bright, gleeful smile from Akira, "Of course, tonight I am all yours."</p><p>Hifumi felt emboldened by this. Perhaps it was the happiness to see him, perhaps it was the pure joy that he was right here and alive. Or maybe it was the fear she may never get the chance again. All this and more pushed Hifumi forward, tilting her head up to kiss the man in her arms. Akira seemed slightly surprised at such a bold course of action, but quickly seemed to welcome it. Time seemed to slow to a tiptoe, granting Hifumi the chance to completely experience the moment. The subtle scent of the cologne he always wore, his shaky breath that was the only indication of him being as nervous as she was, and the way his heart quickly beat with hers.</p><p>Once time resumed, the young couple broke from the kiss long enough to sit on the futon and catch their breath. Hifumi looked at him, feeling her cheeks burn as she longed to somehow make this night last forever. "If only you didn't have to go, if only I didn't have to worry. But... you'll make it back. You'd better."</p><p>Akira nodded, "I'll make it back to you, I promise. There's still so much more time we have to spend."</p><p>This brought a shy smile to Hifumi's face, "I'll hold you to that."</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>